Ros Holland will be visiting Outer West and City Libraries to celebrate the publication of ‘The Black Pencil Woman: A Portrait of My Mother’. Ros will talk about her new memoir, a heart wrenching portrayal of grief, growth and family life in a Northumberland mining community.

Thursday 24 May 2012
Outer West Library – 2pm
City Library – 6:30pm

To reserve your place at this event please call 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

View details of the book on the Book Guild Publishing website.

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Archive film footage recording one hundred years of North East sport will be showcased at two venues as part of this year’s Late Shows. The newly digitised footage will feature at both the Discovery Museum and Newcastle City Library on Saturday 19 May from 7pm – 10pm.

The one hour film show reels will run on continuous loop throughout the evening, drop in at any time.

The free film shows will include footage of Newcastle United taking on Sunderland AFC at St James’ Park in 1913, athletics and swimming competitions in Gateshead Stadium and Tynemouth open air pool in the 1960s, and an array of amateur films of sports and gala days across the North East.

Tynemouth Open Air Swimming Pool, 1963

A number of sporting events filmed as part of the centenary of the Blaydon Races in 1962 will also feature. There will also be regional television news stories from the 1970s and 1980s revisiting the more recent sporting past, examining the early careers of local heroes Brendan Foster and Paul Gascoigne.

This important archive film footage has been digitised as part of the Northern Region Film and Television Archive’s Fast Forward: North East Sport on Film project, and is the first in a series of film shows and events taking place across the region this summer.

For more information on the Fast Forward project contact the Northern Region Film and Television Archive at Teesside University on 01642 384022 or email enquires@nrfta.org.uk.

Fast Forward: North East on Film is supported by the National Lottery through the BFI and Creative England.

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On 23 April, Newcastle Libraries celebrated World Book Night in style. This was a chance for us to share the joy of reading, both inside and outside of the library. Over one hundred staff and customers applied to be book givers, and we distributed a staggering 2400 FREE books across the city, double what we did last year.

As it was the date of Shakespeare’s birth (and death) we decided to kick start the programme with a book swap at the Theatre Royal while the unveiling of their statue ‘Mercutio’ took place. A total of one hundredbooks were given out within an hour!

Library staff, teenage ‘My Voice’ volunteers, members of our children’s reading group and our local councillor distributed books across the city centre, in coffee shops, bars and the Tyneside Cinema.

The celebration continued with a performance from Silver Linings which got the audience to dancing and singing in the atrium. The atmosphere was already buzzing when we welcomed our fabulous visiting author Adele Parks, who was excited to be involved with World Book Night, and did a fantastic ‘meet the author’ session. The audience were gripped with tales of Adele’s life and the inspiration behind her novels which included her latest title ‘About Last Night’. Our ‘My Voice’ volunteers excitedly interviewed Adele without any hesitation. Listen to this interview below.

We also involved talented local actors ‘Spectrum Arts’ who spent their Sunday mornings rehearsing intensely for ‘Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits’. Customers followed the group around the building enthralled in the scenes and costumes.

We were fortunate to be one of several satellite venues to live stream a World Book Night event from Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s Southbank where top authors helped spread the message of how empowering reading can be.

If you would like to be part of World Book Night 2013 register your details. From personal experience, this is a chance not to be missed!

Sharon Reeve
Reading and Learning Service Manager

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City Library will come alive in a night of performance on Saturday 19 May to celebrate this year’s Late Shows. From 7pm to 11pm tours of the building will be illustrated through contemporary dance performances by Dance City, including a peak behind the scenes.

Library staff will also be on hand to talk about the different parts of the building and the stories behind its design. There is no need to book for this event but places are limited. The tours start at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm and 10pm.

The Late Shows is an inspiring, after dark programme of events and exhibitions centering on the cultural venues in NewcastleGateshead that are usually closed in the evening. Find out more about the Late Shows.

The Late Shows marks the international event ‘Museums at Night’, which takes place across Europe.

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To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Newcastle Libraries are offering a
range of royal themed events.

On Friday 1 June we will launch the ‘Sixty Glorious Years’ exhibition on the level 4 book gallery at City Library and there will also be archive film footage of the Queen’s first visit to the region in the early 1950s. Drop in any time between 12noon and 5pm to watch this.

The focus of our celebrations will be the Canny Jubilee gala event which will be held outdoors in Princess Square on Saturday 2 June from 1pm – 4pm. The outdoor gala, which has been supported by Marks and Spencer, will see vintage hair and make-up demonstrations, live music, Lindy Hop dancing and an interactive ‘you have been crowned’ photo booth! Work created by community groups in the run up to the celebrations will also be on show.

Following the street party there will be an historic royal fashion show by Julia Soares-McCormick from 6.30pm at City Library.

There are also Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations at our community libraries. View a full listing of Diamond Jubilee events at Newcastle Libraries.

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An update from Linda Routledge, Library and Information Assistant…

At the recent arts and crafts club at City Library we had great fun making a 3D spring flower arrangement and Origami jumping frogs.  We started the session with some jokes from the book ‘Silly Jokes and Giggles’ by Philip Yates which broke the ice and with the new members of the group.  It was great to have a mixture of boys and girls attending, with ages ranging from six to fourteen. We all agreed that the next session cannot come quick enough.  The only thing missing was time, which we ran out off, so as the saying goes time flies when you’re having fun!

Ask at your local library to find out about your nearest free craft session, or alternatively phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

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The Jesmond Community Festival 2012 starts with a grand opening concert on Friday 27 April and lasts until Sunday 13 May. There is something for everyone, from toddlers to pensioners, including choral concerts, poetry readings, family activities, walking tours, music, a fair and much more!

As well as a Jesmond photograph exhibition and children’s treasure trail, the events below will be taking place at Jesmond Library.

Tyne Rhyme and Wine
Thursday 10 May, 6:15 – 7:45pm
A lively evening of readings by popular local poets Marilyn Longstaff, Sheree Mack and Chris Robinson.  Glass of wine and nibbles on arrival. Advance booking is required by phoning 0191 277 4100 or ask at any library.

Lunchtime Recital
Friday 11 May, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Jesmond Library, St George’s Terrace
Join us for an entertaining festival of music with local musician Mary Mooney. Refreshments available. No need to book.

Ian Gillard’s Forensic Workshop for Children
Saturday 12 May, 2pm – 3:30pm
 Jesmond Library, St George’s Terrace
Calling all budding young detectives! Find out how to investigate fingerprints, DNA and so much more at this fascinating workshop suitable for all children of school age. Advance booking is required by phoning 0191 277 4100 or ask at any library.

For more information visit the Jesmond Community Festival webpage.

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Local photographer Keith Pattison spent a week at Cruddas Park Library taking photographs of the customers who visited.  They either held up the book they borrowed of wrote down the reason for their trip to the library. His innovative project highlights the many different ways people use their library and looks at the role libraries play in the local community. The images have been compiled in his new book, ‘face BOOK – A Week in the Life of a Branch Library’, which will be launched alongside Keith’s exhibition on Tuesday 24 April at 10:30am at Cruddas Park Shopping Centre. You can also take a look at the images online on Keith’s website.

View the face BOOK images

David Almond, celebrated author of the children’s book ‘Skellig’ will be supporting the opening of the new exhibition. Tony Durcan, Director of Culture, Libraries and Lifelong Learning, said:  “Libraries continue to play such a valuable role in our communities and this exhibition and book will give people the chance to learn why they continue to be important to those who use them.  Keith has done a wonderful job in bringing the community together for this project so I am delighted to be helping support this exhibition.”

face BOOK will remain open at Unit 12, Cruddas Park Shopping Centre until Saturday 5 May 2012.

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Sorry about the pun!

James Bond is in the news at present – there’s an upcoming film and William Boyd has just been commissioned to write a new James Bond book.  Apparently he is reading all the Ian Fleming books to think his way into the project. We’ve got them in stock, so why not read them now? View our books by Ian Fleming.

And for James Bond wannabes we’ve got books on fast cars, exotic locations and sophisticated cocktails! Or perhaps you’d prefer the book ’101 Things To Do To Become a Superhero (or Evil Genius)’?

We’ve also got other books by William Boyd if you haven’t read any of his work. View our books by William Boyd.

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Could you spare a few hours a week or a month to help people no longer able to visit their library and improve the quality of their life?

If you do have some time to give, Newcastle Libraries and WRVS would like to hear from you to help us with our Home Delivery Service.

We are working in partnership with the WRVS and are looking for friendly, helpful people to assist with our Home Delivery Service. You or a friend will need to have access to a car however we will pay for your expenses. Library staff will continue to select books for customers but volunteers will help to deliver them.

David Fay, Newcastle City Libraries Manager, said:  “We are delighted to be working with WRVS to help us reach some of our residents who can no longer visit their local library.”

Carol Nevison, WRVS Service Delivery Manager for the North East and Cumbria said: “We need new volunteers to help us to deliver this highly valued service and would encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch to find out more.  Training and support will be provided and our volunteers tell us that they gain a real sense of achievement by making a real difference to people’s lives.”

If you think you could help out or need more information call WRVS on 0845 601 4670 and ask about the Newcastle Home Delivery Service.

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Newcastle Bridges, 1920s – Newcastle Libraries on Flickr

This May is Local History Month at Newcastle Libraries so we’ve got plenty in store at City Library and across our library branches. Find out about Newcastle’s Victorian villians, hook into the past at a talk on proggy mats or dig deeper into the history of Newcastle’s missing Roman wall…plus lots more!

The Local History Month brochure is available to download below. Book your place at an event by phoning 0191 2774100 or emailing information@newcaste.gov.uk.

Download the Local History Month 2012 brochure (PDF, 1.6MB)

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Witch-hunters, ghostly figures and body-snatchers who used to roam the streets of Newcastle are brought to life in a new app which has been created using information from the city’s archives and libraries.

The Hidden Newcastle app is free and has been produced by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and Newcastle Libraries. It reveals stories about real life historical characters who once lived and worked in the city.

Each story in the app is linked to the location and you can unlock more stories as you move around the city.

People featured in Hidden Newcastle include Cuckoo Jack who in the early to mid 1800s worked as a bargeman on the River Tyne. His knowledge of the river led to a profitable sideline in retrieving dead bodies from the water and selling them to the council.

Not all of the stories are so gruesome, however, including the tale of Geordie Woodford who was credited with helping to save people from the flood of 1771 which swept away part of the old Tyne Bridge.

The app is currently available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, with an Android version currently in development.

Find out more about the Hidden Newcastle app.

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Julia Donaldson, Children’s Laureate and author of ‘The Gruffalo’, is visiting City Library to meet her young fans.

3pm – 3.45pm
Friday 13 April 2012
City Library

This is a free event and there is no need to book in advance.

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(Staff selecting books for Home Delivery Service customers)

If so and you live in Newcastle, you can apply to use the Home Delivery Service free of charge.

We deliver to anyone living in Newcastle:

• Who is unable to visit their local library due to either permanent or temporary ill health;
• Who has caring responsibilities;
• Who has a permanent disability.

We have a selection of large print books and books on tape or CD and can visit you in your home every four weeks.

For more details visit the Home Delivery Service webpage, phone 0191  277 4100 or email  information@newcastle.gov.uk.

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Monday 23 April 2012 is World Book Night. A million books will be given away across the United Kingdom, Ireland and the USA as part of an evening of events to celebrate books and reading. Twenty-thousand people have been recruited to distribute 24 free copies of their chosen book to members of the public across the world.

Schedule of events on Monday 23 April 2012

11am
The unveiling of the bronze sculpture of Mercutio by Lisa Delarney in the foyer of the Theatre Royal. Mercutio emerged as the region’s favourite Shakespeare character in a campaign led by the Theatre Royal and The Journal.

12noon – 1pm
The World Book Night Book Swap! Join staff from Newcastle Libraries outside the Theatre Royal and recycle a recommended read by passing it on to a complete stranger!  Share one of your unwanted books and spread the passion for reading.  Let us know what you picked up by tweeting @ToonLibraries on Twitter using the hashtag #worldbooknight.

5pm-7pm
The World Book Night Giveaway! Staff and volunteers will distribute free copies of new books around the city centre at the Tyneside Cinema, Theatre Royal, Eldon Square, coffee shops and restaurants.

5:30pm – 6:30pm
A music performance in the atrium of City Library by Silver Linings.

6:30pm – 8pm
Local actors from Spectrum Arts perform ‘Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits’ in City Library.

6:30pm – 7:15pm
Meet the author Adele Parks at City Library.

To book a free place at the Adele Parks author event please email information@newcastle.gov.uk or phone 0191 2774100.

Live streams directly from events in London will be showing in the Bewick Hall in City Library
7:15pm – 9:15pm
Live footage from the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London of short readings and music by authors and celebrities.
9:30pm – 10:30pm
Live streaming of an open mic session with celebrities in London.
10:30pm – 11:30pm
Live streaming of the candlelight readings of Shakespeare’s sonnets overlooking the Thames.

To book a free place at the live streaming please email information@newcastle.gov.uk or phone 0191 2774100.

Find out more about World Book Night 2012.

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This year celebrates 200 years since the birth of Charles Dickens and the events below are part of our celebration of his life and work. To book a place at any of these events phone 0191 2774100 or ask a member of staff at City Library.

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Children, parents and even library assistants had fun at Newburn Library last Saturday morning when they did some colouring in and made Easter baskets and crowns! One imaginative girl even made a bracelet and brought her own jewel to decorate her basket.

All who attended had fun and made new friends.  And the baskets will make great Easter decorations filled with small eggs or jelly beans. The best thing of all is we’re going to do it all again this Saturday, so you haven’t missed out!  Why not come along and join us?

Free Easter crafts
Saturday 7 April, 2:30pm
Newburn Library

Under 8s must be accompanied by an adult.

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Crime and punishment in the North East
Tuesday 1 May
2pm
Fenham Library

Author Lorna Windham will visit Fenham Library to recall the days of Border Reivers, press gangs and public executions. A vivid account of villains of yesteryear and times of tough punishments and rough jails. A free event, but places are limited.

Book your free place at any library or phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

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Following the success of last year’s Mini-Comics at the  Canny Comic Con,  we are running another Mini-Comics making workshop on Saturday 21 April at Newcastle City Library. It’s free and open to all, regardless of age or prior comic making experience. Come along any time between 1pm and 5pm to give it a try.

Forget the superheroes! Mini-Comics can be about any subject you like…an illustrated diary, reviews of local events, poems, jokes, adventure stories or just your collected thoughts. They are small, easy, quick and fun to make!

Between 11:45am and 1pm, before the workshop starts, there will be some Comic Wisdom presentations from local comic creators Paul Thompson and Ingi Jensson. These will be about comics, visual story telling and styles. The talks are titled ‘Comics: Words + Pictures where Space = Time’ and ‘Embracing our own originality, the dangers involved’. Presentations are free, but pre-booking with the library is essential as spaces are limited. Book your place by phoning 0191 2774100 or by emailing information@newcastle.gov.uk.

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We recently held the first session of the new Sunday arts and crafts club started in City Library.  This was the first time we had had the crafts on a Sunday.  At 2:30pm prompt the doors opened and to my surprise there were nine children already eagerly waiting to join the club!

After some quick introductions to each other, we enjoyed the story of the owl who was afraid of the dark. We then made an owl using lambs wool, which came all the way from Sky in Scotland (kindly donated by a member of staff) some twigs, leaves and a lot of imagination.

After some wonderful creations of barn owls and tawny owls, we had time left over to make a pot-pourri cup, decorated with ribbon and diamantes, for each of the children’s mums as a Mother’s Day gift. A lovely afternoon was had by all!

The FREE children’s arts and crafts club is the last Sunday of every month at 2:30pm, following the regular children’s story time, and is suitable for ages 8 and above (under 8s can be accompanied by an adult). The next session is on 25 March 2012.

Written by Linda, Library and Information Assistant at City Library.

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Newcastle Business and Intellectual Property Centre is located on level 1 of City Library and is dedicated to helping businesses grow by providing them with the information, skills and resources crucial to success.

Opening in September 2011, the Centre is supported by the British Library and is the only dedicated Business and Intellectual Property Centre outside London. It serves as a resource hub for small to medium businesses, business start-ups and entrepreneurs throughout the region, offering everything from guest speakers, workshops and one-to-one advice sessions to high quality hardcopy and electronic resources, all free of charge. It can help you research your business ideas, protect your intellectual property, develop your business and improve your skills.

For more information, including the chance to book tickets for upcoming events, please consult the BIPC website.

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The Swiss writer Robert Walser (1878-1956) has had a huge influence on a long list of literary, artistic and philosophical figures from Franz Kafka, W.G. Sebald, J.M. Coetzee to Heinz Holliger and the Brothers Quay.

Festival Robert Walser takes place at venues across Newcastle from 19 – 23 March 2012. We are hosting the event below at City Library.

The Job Application
Monday 19 March 2012
6pm, City Library
Short stories by Robert Walser to be read by Tim Bennett, Gabriele Heller and Claire Webster-Saaremets.

“Walser’s fictions are charged with compassion: awareness of the creatureliness of life, of the fellowship of sadness. He is a truly wonderful, heartbreaking writer.” – Susan Sontag

The Festival Robert Walser will bring together local and international writers, artists and academics to celebrate the work of Robert Walser through exhibitions, performances, book lauches and discussions.

Free, no need to book. For more information about the festival visit the Institute Robert Walser website.

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Westerhope Primary School were very keen for us to help them celebrate their Book Week and the international World Book Day. Staff from Fenham Library arranged to visit the school to tell stories to the nursery and reception classes. The children were very excited to receive visits from ‘the library lady’ and eager to participate in stories!

‘Walking Through the Jungle’ was very well received with the children joining in with very loud animal noises and a song about a crocodile doing its washing at the bottom of the river. Story number two was ‘Lullabyhullaballoo’ which the children again embraced with great enthusiasm, especially those from each group who were given the job of banging two pan lids together!

A visit by the mobile library was also very hectic. Staff were kept very busy with 159 children coming onto the mobile library to listen to stories and select books.

The children, school staff and library staff all enjoyed the celebrations and we look forward to doing it again. Thanks you to everyone who helped make the event such a success. Above is one of the many thank you cards we received from the children.

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Comic book publishers and workshop facilitators, Art Heroes, will launch their superhero comic, Halcyon and Tenderfoot, at City Library on Saturday 31 March. Be one of the first readers to buy a copy of the new comic!

10:30am – 12:30pm: Quick Comics workshop
A fun workshop for young people who like comics, drawing, writing or just want something to do on a Saturday morning. No previous experience is needed. The workshop is aimed at 8 to 16 year olds and free to attend, but with places limited to just 30 young people, booking early is advised. Followed by the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of the comic. Book by phoning 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

1:30pm – 3:00pm: signing and sketching
The main opportunity of the day to pick up a signed copy of Halcyon and Tenderfoot, meet the creators and buy a unique sketch by the artist of the comic book.

3:00pm – 4:00pm: talk – ‘How to Make Comics the Art Heroes Way‘
The Art Heroes team behind Halcyon and Tenderfoot reveal their process for creating the comic book – from initial idea, to drawing techniques, to printing and promotion – and everything in between! Perfect for people wanting to make their own comics, or anyone with an interest in comic books or artistic processes.

4:00pm – 4:30pm: Signing and sketching
The last chance to get your hands on a signed copy of Halcyon and Tenderfoot or a unique sketch.

Visit the Art Heroes website.

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Pick up a copy of the latest Page Turner newsletter in a library near you or view a copy online below.

Download a copy of the March – May 2012 edition.

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On Thursday 8 March 2012, International Women’s Day will be celebrated around the world. Thousands of events will occur not just on this day but throughout the month to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

This year’s theme is ‘Connecting girls, inspiring futures’ and we are holding the events below.

‘Sthree’
5 – 9 March, City Library (free)
Local artist Jayamini De Silva, will be exhibiting her work called ‘Sthree’ which replicates agony and ecstasy in life of women through her Asian style paintings (above).

Writing workshop with Helen Limon
8 March
10am – 12noon and 1pm – 4pm, City Library (free)
Local author Helen Limon will be visiting the library as our writer in residence to discuss your creative writing.  Helen has a PhD in creative Writing from Newcastle University where she teaches on the undergraduate program. Please bring along an example of prose of no more than 1000 words.

Coffee morning
8 March
10:30am – 12noon, Fenham Library
Pop along to Fenham Library to enjoy a cup of coffee and a chat.

Cake sale
8 March
11:30am – 2:30pm, West End Library
A cake sale has been organised by the Millin Centre who provide advice and encouragement to women who wish to start their own business. Visit the Millin Centre website.

Fenham, Gosforth, Moorside, Fawdon and East End Libraries will also host displays celebrating the acheivements of inspirational women from around the world. Find out more about International Women’s Day.

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Children in Sandgate, Newcastle, 1890

City Library recently hosted an entertaining talk with Christopher Goulding from the Royal Grammar School to celebrate the bicentenary Charles Dickens’ birth. The talk outlined Dickens’ links with Newcastle, such as his performances at the Music Hall on Newson Street and his account of the aftermath of the Great Fire of Newcastle in 1854. If you missed the talk you can listen to Christopher Goulding talk about the Dickens legacy with Kerry Bossons from Newcastle Libraries.

Look out for the forthcoming exhibition on Charles Dickens and Victorian Newcastle which opens at City Library on 9 April.

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Delve into the world of sleep science, optical illusions and taste tests at Newcastle ScienceFest in events across the city. At City Library we will be hosting two exhibitions and a day of fascinating talks covering subjects such as photoactive materials, science for the masses and the science behind language. All of our events are free. Visit the ScienceFest website.

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Grant Ridley, North East based ‘National Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011′, popped in to City Library recently to talk about his life so far in business, including his new project ‘Toonpreneur’. We also talked about the Business & IP Centre here at City Library and how that can help people starting out in business.

Listen to staff from the City Library’s information and digital team chat to Grant in the podcast below.

Find out more about Grant Ridley

Visit the Business and IP Centre Newcastle website

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Saturday 4 February was National Libraries Day and here in Newcastle we celebrated in style! At City Library the day began with a rousing performance from ‘Misspent Uke and Friends’ who played for a delighted audience who managed to escape the cold to tuck into tea, coffee and biscuits. At 1pm over twenty ‘little library lions’ sang songs, coloured pictures and made wonderful lion masks then later on in the afternoon more craft fanatics made valentines bookmarks and books to commemorate the day.

Author Matt Haig read from his brand new children’s book ‘To Be A Cat’ and talked to his audience about what it was like to be a writer. Throughout the day our digital champions were on hand to help customers with a huge range of computer and internet queries. We also had an exhibition on the history of the City Library and junior treasure hunters roamed the building searching for clues!

And don’t forget the branches! At Jesmond Library artist Bridget Jones unveiled the library’s reinstated stained glass panels that she originally designed over 20 years ago. Local residents and Councillors packed into the community room to celebrate with coffee and a specially commissioned cake. In the afternoon, local children took part in decorative glass workshops and created some fabulous pieces of original artwork.

At Moorside Library staff compiled a photographic display charting the changes that the library has undergone over the years, whilst on National Libraries Day itself local children made Chinese lanterns and every surface in the library was taken over with industrious folding, cutting and gluing! At Denton Burn, library visitors took part in collaborative story writing and created their very own work of fiction, whilst at Newburn Library a display of archive photographs evoked happy memories for local residents.

All in all it was a great day with a wonderful atmosphere and so many positive comments. A true celebration of all the varied things that happen across our city’s libraries and of what they mean to the people that use them!

For more photographs visit our Facebook page.

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Saturday 4 February 2012 is National Libraries Day – a nationwide celebration of libraries, library users, staff and supporters which aims to showcase all that libraries have to offer and to encourage non-members to join.

On National Libraries Day we will welcome award-winning author Matt Haig, there will be prizes on offer for children in the Great National Libraries Day Treasure Hunt and a storytime with songs for Little Lions (under 5s). Plus digital experts will be on hand to answer you questions on topics such as ebooks and online shopping.

An exhibition of photographs will chart the history of City Library from 1880 to the present day will be on display between 28 January – 27 February. Several community libraries will also be sharing photographic displays of their past.

View more details of our events on National Libraries Day.

Spread the word to make sure everyone knows what a great place libraries are to meet, learn and be inspired!

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Newcastle Libraries can accommodate approximately 100 book givers to hand out books across the city, which is much more than last year.  Help to make this year’s event even more successful!

To apply to be a book giver visit the World Book Night website. The closing date is 31 January 2012 and successful applicants will be notified by February 2012.

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20 January – 23 March 2012

The Designer Bookbinders UK exhibition opens on Friday 20 January in the Newcastle Collection showcase on level 6 of City Library. The exhibition highlights the skill of the hand-bound book with some outstanding examples of the bookbinder’s art.

The exhibition has been organised by Designer Bookbinders UK, a society devoted to the art and craft of the hand-bound book, and will show how the cover of a book can tell its own story. This inspiring show aims to represent the best of British bookbinding and includes bindings by some of the most respected practitioners working today.

Some of the works on show feature leather-bound volumes, those made using silk as well as items which have been created with precious metals and semi-precious stones.

This is the first major British exhibition the Society has mounted for some time and has been shown at venues across the country including the Bodleian Library in Oxford, The Schneideman Gallery in London and the John Rylands Library in Manchester.

More information about Designer Bookbinders UK.

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As part of our budget proposals for 2012/13 we are suggesting a number of measures to achieve some significant savings for the library service. We would be very interested to hear your views on our proposals. There are public consultations on the following topics, please click on them to view more information.

The Home Delivery Service (PDF, 26KB)

The Mobile Library (PDF, 26KB)

Library opening hours (PDF, 67KB)

You can also get involved online by registering on the Let’s Talk Newcastle forums. Visit Let’s Talk Newcastle.

Consultation on the council’s draft budget will be open until 15 February 2012.

This note is the first stage of our consultation programme. We will also be organising visits to individual libraries and we would like you to get in touch with us if you have any specific concerns about these proposals or if you would like more details.

View more information about the council’s budget consultation.

David Fay
City Libraries’ Manager
City Library, 33 New Bridge Street, Newcastle, NE1 8AX
Phone: 0191 2774152
Email: david.fay@newcastle.gov.uk

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Newcastle Libraries are hosting a number of special events to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day including:

Anne Frank Exhibition
Friday 27 January – Thursday 2 February 2012
Gosforth Library
Exhibition provided by the Anne Frank Trust and will be available for customers to view as part of our commemorative programme for Holocaust Memorial Day.

The Artefacts Exhibition
Monday 9 January – Wednesday 29 February 2012
Level 2, City Library
Come and see this  fascinating exhibition of wartime artefacts compiled by Professor John Sadler.

Photograph Exhibition
Monday 9 January – Wednesday 29 February 2012
Level 1, City Library
A series of images by local photographer Reed Ingram Weir.

Film Screening
Monday 23 January – Friday 27 January
City Library
A DVD of past Holocaust Memorial Day events held in Newcastle. Free and open to all.

Srebrenica – A Drama
Saturday 28 January
3:30pm – 5pm
City Library
A drama-documentary tracing the attempted Serbian genocide of Bosnian Moslems within the nominally UN held ‘enclave’ of Srebrenica. This dramatised account uses  the words of those who were present and is factually accurate, dramatically intense and compelling. Phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk to book or find out more.

Living Library
Tuesday 31 January
10am – 12noon
City Library
People in the human library become ‘books’ and can be borrowed for a short time for one to one informal conversation regarding personal life experiences. Sessions are in blocks of 20 minutes and must be booked in advance. Phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk to book or find out more.

Polish Music Performances
Listen to a live performance of  music by Polish musicians Ania Wrona and Malgorzata Danilowska-Starzak.
Saturday 28 January, 11am – 12noon
Level 1, City Library
No need to book. Just come along and enjoy.

Tuesday 31 January, 6pm – 7pm
Level 2, City Library
A repeat performance in the Bewick Hall at City Library. Free tickets must be booked in advance by phoning 0191 2774100, emailing information@newcastle.gov.uk or ask at your local library.

‘The Tin Ring’ Book Discussion Group
Tuesday 2 February
6pm – 8pm
City Library
Come along and join in an informal discussion about Zdenka Fantlova’s powerful and moving novel ‘The Tin Ring’. No need to book.

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The Science of Innovation
Tuesday 24 January 2012
6:30pm – 9:30pm
City Library

Trevor Baylis, who shot to fame when he created the Clockwork Radio, will crank up the volume on innovation when he joins Professor James Hayton at the fourth inspirational event in the  ‘Science of…’ series.

The events which merge science, business and personal development have proved a real winner with the region’s business community and this one promises to be a real highlight.

Trevor whose career is built on a lifetime interest in invention and innovation is well-known for his inspirational style encouraging people to ‘think outside of the square’. Working tirelessly to promote the cause of the lone inventor, he has been concerned about the neglect of invention, inventors, and intellectual property in the UK for many years.

Trevor will be joined on the evening by Professor James Hayton, the David Goldman Professor of Innovation & Enterprise at Newcastle University, who will focus on how the influences of intangible assets such as culture, human capital, and human resource management practices impact on the innovation process.

Book your FREE place online.

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If you’ve always wanted to research your family tree, but didn’t know where to begin, then this session is the place to start.  An absolute beginner’s guide to help you start piecing together your family history.

2:30pm – 4pm
Thursday 26 January 2012
City Library

To book your free place phone 0191 2774100, email information@newcastle.gov.uk or ask at your local library.

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Join in the Wii Olympics challenge at Gosforth Library in the run up to the 2012 Olympics. Find out who can run the fastest, jump the highest and swim the furthest! No matter what age you are, everyone can join in the fun.

No booking necessary. Drop in to Gosforth Library from:
2:30pm – 3:30pm on Saturday 21 January
12:30pm – 1:30pm on Sunday 22 January

Find out more about Newcastle City Council as host council for the 2012 Olympics

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Author Hazel Osmond will be here to talk about writing fan fiction for the internet – her route into becoming a published author.  Fan fiction or ‘fanfic’ is when fans of a television programme, book or film write backstories, alternative endings or new storylines for their favourite characters. Tickets for this event are free.

‘…while there are some weird stories getting written out there in fanfic land there are also plenty of great ones. Fanfic is a nice gentle way to try your hand at writing, whether it’s a short story or a many chaptered piece.” Visit Hazel Osmond’s website.

6:30pm
Thursday 19 January
Level 6, City Library

To book your place phone 0191 2774100, email information@newcastle.gov.uk or ask at your local Newcastle library.

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(Christmas crafts at Jesmond Library)

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has visited and used any of our libraries in 2011. We were delighted to find that the City Library is currently the 4th busiest in the country and that Newcastle’s libraries are used by more residents than library services in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

We have had an action packed year!  There have been some superb exhibitions, including Evolving English which looked at the development of the English language with a special emphasis on north-east dialect. Festivals included the Northern Children’s Book Festival, the Winter Book Festival and the Canny Comic Con(vention). Helped by the Mayor and Leader of the council, we also enjoyed giving out hundreds of books to residents on World Book Night. Amongst other titles, Tynebridge Publishing produced ‘Alright Now’ a look at Newcastle in the 1970s – we had a fantastic launch with huge flares and platform shoes (those were the days!).

Our Summer Reading Challenge for children at all our libraries was supported by over 50 young volunteers. We had a shadow Booker Prize Event (and no, we didn’t choose the same book as the national judges!) and we had some significant business events at the City Library as part of our bid to set up a new business and intellectual property centre. We’ve also had a whole range of author events at lots of our libraries.

This year has seen self-service machines installed at East End, Outer West, Blakelaw, Kenton and Jesmond Libraries (which also enjoyed a superb new facelift).

We were delighted to welcome comedian Alan Carr when he visited the City Library as part of the programme ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Sadly that section was left on the cutting room floor! Newcastle also became one of 8 regional centres to hold General Register Office Indexes enabling family history researchers at City Library to have access to the most up-to-date birth, death and marriage records after 2005, which is not available online. Our History Club also achieved a national award.

Although we will have a challenging year with budgets, we are already looking forward to 2012 with lots of plans. On behalf of all my colleagues in Newcastle Libraries, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas with best wishes for 2012.

David Fay
City Libraries’ Manager

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(The teenage reading group – George, Katie, Maria, Grace and Laura with member of staff Jane Baldwin (second from left) in Waterstones in Newcastle.)

Newcastle City Library has launched a teenage reading group for young people aged 12 to 16 years old. The group meets once a month on Sunday afternoon to read and discuss a selected book.

Recently the group were welcomed at Waterstones book store in Newcastle where they had the opportunity to do a little Christmas shopping and were inspired to choose some new titles to read in 2012.

In the New Year the group will be reading ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen and the next meeting will be on Sunday 8 January at 2pm. If you’re interested in joining the teenage reading group we’d love to hear from you. Please email Jane Baldwin at information@newcastle.gov.uk.

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We are delighted to have been nominated as a regional centre for the full set of General Register Office Indexes – dating from 1837 to 2010. We are one of only seven centres in the country to hold them; previously the nearest host centre was Manchester City Library.

The indexes are an important tool for family history researchers.  They cover all civilly registered life events such as births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships as well as indexing adoptions and overseas life events back to 1761. The Indexes are in fiche format and can be viewed on level six of Newcastle City Library.

To introduce you to the full range of our new resource we will be working with staff from the General Register Office to hold a customer awareness session in the New Year. Look out for dates and further information in 2012. Find out more about the General Register Office Indexes.

We are looking forward to offering a selection of events in the New Year – these include a workshop for beginners who wish to trace their family tree and internet taster sessions giving you practical help with the free access we offer to the Ancestry and Find My Past website. Back by popular demand, local historian Mike Greatbatch will host five workshops on the social history of the Lower Ouseburn. Find out more about the Lower Ouseburn workshops.

Kath Cassidy
Service Manager: Heritage

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Discover the social heritage of the Lower Ouseburn at five illustrated talks and workshops delivered by local historian Mike Greatbatch, entitled ‘Life, Leisure and Community in the Lower Ouseburn 1800 to 1940′.

All talks are from 2pm – 4pm on the days below.

Friday 20 January
1. ‘Roads, Streets, Quays and Yards; the Urbanisation of the Lower Ouseburn’

Friday 3 February
2. ‘Housing & Home Life’

Friday 17 February
3. ‘Pubs, Clubs & Leisure Activities’

Friday 2 March
4. ‘Churches, Missions & Burial Grounds’

Friday 16 March
5. ‘Documenting an Industrial Community’

Tickets are £4 per individual event (£15.00 if you book all five). To book a place phone 0191 2774100.

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On Saturday 10 December City Library hosted the hugely successful Canny Comic Con – a convention to celebrate comics, sequential art and graphic novels. We had over 500 visitors of which 161 people attended the talks and nearly 100 children took part in workshops.

Some of the best creative talent from the region hosted talks and panels, including Simon Donald (Viz), Brian Talbot (Alice in Sunderland) and Doug Braithwaite (Marvel, 2000AD) but there were many, many more!. Judge Stewart was also on hand to distribute free copies of 2000AD and remind children of the importance of getting their books back on time!

Then there were the wonderfully creative workshops hosted by Art Heroes, TeesToons and Cuttlefish.

Press and online coverage has been fantastic! There has been a full page feature in the Evening Chronicle, a review on the Forbidden Planet International website, several blog posts by the artists/writers who attended and too many positive Twitter comments to mention! If you use Twitter you can search for the hashtag #cannycc or follow @CannyComicCon.

We were very pleased to raise £123 for the NSPCC which is one of the Lord Mayor’s charities this year. Speakers and guests kindly donated prizes for the raffle including Viz memorabilia, vouchers from the local shops Travelling Man and Forbidden Planet, signed books, CDs, artwork and more!

Don’t worry if you missed it. Get involved by joining the graphic novel reading group ‘Readers of the Lost Art’ which is held at City Library every two weeks on a Tuesday. And watch this space for more exciting comic creating workshops in the future!

We had a bit of time during the jam packed day to interview Dr. Mel Gibson, Bryan Talbot, Mary Talbot and Alex and Stace (the brains behind Canny Comic Con!). Listen to the interviews below or access them via iTunes.

Canny Comic Con 2011 was such an enjoyable day. Feedback from visitors has been overwhelmingly positive and we would like to thank everyone who was involved in the organisation and promotion of the event for making the day so brilliant!

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His sumptuous pictures and funny plots will keep young readers captivated. With a vast Christmas collection he is the ideal author of the month for December. His books include ‘The Snowman’, ‘Father Christmas’  and ‘Fungus the Bogeyman’.

View Raymond Briggs’ books on the online library catalogue.

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Page Turner is a guide to the latest news and events occurring at Newcastle Libraries.

View the latest edition of our Page Turner newsletter. (PDF, 1.1MB)

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Last weekend Newcastle Libraries hosted the Northern Children’s Book Festival Gala Weekend at Benfield School, and we’re pleased to report that the event was a resounding success! The whole weekend was jam packed full of celebrated children’s authors – from Cathy Cassidy to Craig Bradley and  Steve Hartley to Joe Craig – who delighted visitors with stories, crafts, experiments and jokes before signing books and chatting to fans. The region’s library authorities were on hand to provide top quality craft activities including make your own monster paws (grrrrr!) whilst high class interactive entertainment came from Seven Stories, Piccolo Music and Luna Tricks.

Emma (aged eight, pictured above) who visited the festival on Saturday said, ‘I enjoyed the Northern Children’s Book Festival because I got to meet lots of different authors and they signed my books. The authors were really funny; Steven Butler told us lots of funny stories about his childhood and told me how he based his troll character on his mum, how cheeky! When Korky Paul signed my book he drew me a picture of Winnie the witch, I felt really special.’

It seems that everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. The authors were impressed with both the staff and the venue, with Jeremy Strong commenting that his sessions were ‘great fun’ and Korky Paul describing it as a ‘fabulous, exhilarating and wonderful book festival’. Our thousands of visitors were also keen to let us know what a fantastic experience they’d had and many were keen to come back again next year.

Thanks to everyone who gave their time, effort, talents and hard work to put on this fabulous, colourful, surprising, enlightening and ultimately enormously fun weekend!

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Inspire North East is a scheme that allows individuals access to libraries they would not normally be admitted to, such as specialist or university libraries. Any holder of a full membership at Newcastle Libraries (where proof of address was shown) may apply for an Inspire passport. The process only takes a few minutes – just speak to a member of staff to sign up.

The Find it! website lists special collections held by libraries participating in the Inspire scheme.

You could also try the Copac website which brings together the catalogues of British research libraries, including some universities, and makes them accessible via one search engine. Visit Copac.

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It’s been nine months since we launched our ebooks service, offering fiction and non-fiction titles to download for free. So far we’ve had over 6000 downloads by nearly 1000 people. As well as buying titles from our supplier we added titles from our in-house publishers, Tyne Bridge Publishing.

Recently I was at a conference in Manchester where staff from Derby Libraries said they had been adding titles from their local history collection to their ebooks site so that people could borrow titles that would normally be too rare or valuable to lend. Immediately I thought this was an idea we could steal, I mean, that people in Newcastle would find interesting… so we set up a team to look at what titles we could add to our website and how we would go about digitising them.

As a result of our first meeting we decided to add some titles from our heritage collection about the early history of Newcastle as well as some titles from our in-house publishers which are out of print and cannot be bought anymore. In order to give this new digital collection a big launch (as well as giving us plenty of time to work on them!) we have decided to time its release to begin with Local History Month in May 2012.

Over the next couple of months we will be making a small number of titles available to download so people can get an idea of what we will be adding and so we can see how popular they are. At the moment there are three Tyne Bridge Publishing titles available for customers to download:

‘Beneath This Green and Pleasant Land’ by John Graham, a warm and often hard-hitting account of life as a North East miner and one of our most popular titles.

‘Bygone Walker’ and ‘Bygone Byker’ both pictorial histories, using old photographs to portray that past which has given each area such a distinctive character.

The more difficult part is going to be adding rare, valuable or old items from our heritage collection which we are looking to do soon. To begin with these will probably include early pamphlets on the history of Newcastle dating from the seventeenth century. We will also be adding some more Tyne Bridge titles soon.

Why not visit our eBooks site, download some of the titles and tell us what you think! Visit the Digital Collection.

Luke Burton
Information and Digital Team

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Steven Butler visited City Library to talk about ‘The Wrong Pong’, the book chosen as this year’s Big Juice Read. Stephen chatted about all things smelly to one of our young volunteers at City Library before he went to meet his audience of eager young trolls. You can listen to their conversation below.

Visit Steven Butler’s website

View Steven Butler’s books on the online catalogue

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